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J?«*i?^ -..: 4 V ^ '- -t ^ ^ •-:-■■■' ■"'' 'f < r V'- -^\ ■' ( * •• .<\ ■'..v:': r" ^^- 4 ^V ( Off// u/t//^/'//>r Pft/^/yj/fj^oi tj/j^^^ ^-^- ^ ^^^^^/^^^^A -^I^'^y ^j^f//jarr/ ^W/f/fo/f I's//? _J ^- — >^V/^////r /// f^e /^trfrf /j f yyffv. '- >7> /.xr r/ f/re f //.j . ^ ,^^ HISTORICAL RECORDS OF THE BRITISH ARMY. m gi tl R U] A U w B w ai C tl ol O] E GENERAL ORDERS. HORSE-GUARDS, \3t January, 1830. His Majesty has been pleased to command, that, with a view of doing the fullest justice to Regi- ments, as well as to Individuals who have distin- guished themselves by their Bravery in Action with the Enemy, an Account of tlie Services of every Regiment in the British Army shall be published under the superintendence and direction of the Adjutant-General; and that this Account shall con- tain the following particulars, viz., The Period and Circumstances of the Ori- ginal Formation of the Regiment; The Stations at which it has been from time to time employed ; The Battles, Sieges, and other IMilitary Operations, in which it has been engaged, particularly specifying any Achievement it may have performv j, and the Colours, Trophies, &c., it may have captured from the Enemy. The Names of the Officers and the number of Non-Commissioned Officers and Privates, Killed or Wounded by the Enemy, specifying the Place and Date of the Action. iv GENERAL ORDERS. The Names of those Officers, who, in con- sideration of their Gallant Services and Meritorious Conduct in Engagements with the Enemy, have been distinguished with Titles, Medals, or other Marks of His Majesty's gracious favour. The Names of all such Officers, Non-Com- missioned Officers and Privates as may have specially signalized themselves in Action. And, The Badges and Devices which the Regiment may have been permitted to bear, and the Causes on account of which such Badges or Devices, or any other Marks of Distinction, have been granted. By Command of the Right Honourable GENERAL LORD HILL, Commanding-in-Chief. John Macdonald, A djutant- General. PREFACE. The character and credit of the British Army must chiefly depend upon the zeal and ardour, by which all who enter into its service are animated, and consequently it is of the highest importance that any measure calculated to excite the spirit of emulation, by which alone great and gallant actions are achieved, should be adopted. Nothing can more fully tend to the accomplishment of this desirable object, than a full display of the noble deeds with which the Military History of our country abounds. To hold forth these bright examples to the imitation of the youthful soldier, and thus to incite him to emulate the meritorious conduct of those who have preceded him in their honourable career, are among the motives that have given rise to the present publication. The operations of the British Troops are, indeed, an- nounced in the " London Gazette," from whence they are transferred into the public prints : the achievements of our armies are thus made known at the time of their occurrence, and receive the tribute of praise and admiration to which they are entitled. On extraordinary occasions, the Houses of Parliament have been in the habit of conferring on the Commanders, and the Officers and Troops acting under PREFACE. their orders, rxprcshions of approbation nnd of tluiiikM for their skill ntul bravery, and these tcntirnoniulfi, contirmed by the high honour uf their Sovereign's Approbation, constitute the reward which the Nuldicr most highly prizes. It has not, however, until late years, been the practice (which appears to have long prevailed in some of the Con- tinental armies) for British Regiments to keep regular records of their services and achievements. Hence some difficulty has been experienced in obtaining, particularly from the old Regiments, an authentic account of their origin and subsequent services. This defect will now be remedied, in consequence of His Majesty having been pleased to command, that every Regi- ment shall in future keep a full and ample record of its services at home and abroad. From the materials thus collected, the country will henceforth derive information as to the difficulties and privations which chequer the career of those who embrace the military profession. In Great Britain, where so large a number of persons are devoted to the active concerns of agriculture, manufactures, and commerce, and where these pursuits have, for so long a period, been undisturbed by the presence of loar, which few other countries have escaped, comparatively little is known of the vicissitudes of active service, and of the casualties of climate, to which, even during peace, the British Troops are exposed in every part of the globe, with little or no interval of repose. In their tranquil enjoyment of the blessings which the PREFACE. VII rountry derives from the industry nnd the enterprise of tlic ngriculturist nnd the trader, its happy inlinhitnnts may lie supposed not often to re fleet on the perilous duties of the suldier nnd the saiK)r, — on their suft'erings, — nnd on the sacrifice of vuluuble hfe, by which so nmny national benefits arc obtained nnd preserved. The conduct of the Rritisli Troops, their vnlour, and endurance, have shone conspicuously under great and trying difficulties ; and their character has been established in Con- tinental warfare by the irresistible spirit with which they have eiTccted debarkations in spite of the most formidable opposition, and by the gallantry and steadiness with which they have maintained their advantages against superior numbers. In the official Reports nmde by the respective Com- manders, ample justice has generally been done to the gallant exertions of the Corps employed; but the details of their services, and of acts of individual bravery, can only be fully given in the Annals of the various Regiments. These Records are now preparing for publication, under His Majesty's special authority, by Mr. Richard Cannon, Principal Clerk of the Adjutant-General's Office j nnd while the perusal of them cannot fail to be useful and interesting to military men of every rank, it is considered that they will also afford entertainment and information to the general reader, particularly to those who may have served in the Army, or who have relatives in the Service. There exists in the breasts of most of those who have y Vlll PREFACE. served, or are serving, in the Army, an Esprit de Corps — an attachment to every thing belonging to their Regiment ; to such persons a narrative of the services of their own Corps cannot fail to prove interesting. Authentic accounts of the actions of the great, — the valiant, — the loyal, have always been of paramount interest with a brave and civilized people. Great Britain has produced a race of heroes who, in mo- ments of danger and terror, have stood, " firm as the rocks of their native shore ;" and when half the World has been arrayed against them, they have fought the battles of their Country with unshaken fortitude. It is presumed that a record of achievements in war, — victories so complete and surprising, gained by our countrymen, — our brothers, — our fellow-citizens in arms, — a record which revives the memory of the brave, and brings their gallant deeds before us, will certainly prove acceptable to the public. Biographical memoirs of the Colonels and other distin- guished Officers, will be introduced in the Records of their respective Regiments, and the Honorary Distinctions which have, from time to time, been conferred upon each Regi- ment, as testifying the value and importance of its services, will be faithfully set forth. As a convenient mode of Publication, the Record of each Regiment will be printed in a distinct number, so that when the whole shall be completed, the Parts may be bound up in numerical succession. ' • HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE EIGHTY-SIXTH, OR THE ROYAL COUNTY DOWN REGIMENT OF FOOT : CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT IN 1793, AND OF ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES TO 18 4 2. LONDON: JOHN W. PARKER, WEST STRAND. M.IICCC.XLII. London : Harrison and Co., Printers, St. Martin's Lank. THE EIGHTY-SIXTH, OB THE ROYAL COUNTY DOWN REGIMENT OF FOOT, BEAKS ON ITS COLOURS AND APPOINTMENTS THE "HARP AND CROWN" WITH THE MOTTO " QUIS SEP AR ABIT?" ALSO THE •' SPHINX," WITH THE WORDS " EGYPT, " " INDIA," « BOURBON;" AND ON THE BUTTONS THE " IRISH HARP AND CROWN." CONTENTS. Year 1793 The Regiment raised, and styled Cuijler's Shropshire Volunteers .... 1794 Names of the Officers .... Embarks for Ireland ..... Styled the Eighty -Sixth Regiment, or the Shropshire Volunteers .... Returns to England 1 795 Serves on board the fleet as Marines 1796 Embarks for the Cape of Good Hope 1799 Proceeds to India 1801 Six Companies proceed to Egypt Passage of the Desert ..... Capture of Cairo and Alexandria 1 802 Four Companies in India, — Capture of Kareah and Tarrapore ..... Six Companies return from Egypt to India Capture of Barodara ..... 1803 Kirrella, — skirmish near Copperbund Keira ...... Baroach ..... Powanghur ..... — — Skirmish near Lunawarrah ... Capture of Dhowd 1804 Advances to Indore ..... Disastrous Retreat to Ongein .... Capture of Inglehur Page 9 10 11 12 13 14 18 20 21 22 23 24 25 28 29 30 31 32 VI CONTENTS. Year Page 1805 Proceeds to Bhurtpore 32 —^ Storms one of the out-worka ... 33 Attacks a large bastion 34 Siege raised, — proceeds to Muttra ... 35 Pursues the forces of Holkar .... — 1 806 Returns to Bombay 36 Stationed at Goa — Obtains the title of the Eighty-Sixth, or Leinster Regiment of Foot 37 1809 Declaration of the Portuguese Viceroy, at Goa . — 1810 Expedition against the Island of Bourbon . 38 Services of a detachment on board the Africaine frigate ....... 44 1811 Removed to the Isle of France ... 45 1812 Returns to India — Styled the Eighty- Sixth, or the Royal County Down Regiment 46 1814 A second battalion added to the regiment 47 Ditto disbanded . . • . — 1816) ? Serves against the Pindarees .... 48 1817 Insurrection at Hyderabad .... — 1818 Serves against the Pindarees .... 49 Marches for Madras, in order to embark for England ...... — Flank Companies proceed to the Island of Ceylon ....... 50 Services against the Kandians ... — 1819 Returns to Madras ...... 55 General Orders on leaving India ... 56 Arrives in England . . . . . . 57 1821 Embarks for Ireland — 1827 Service Companies embark for the West Indies . 59 1837 return to England . . 62 1842 The Conclusion 63 CONTENT8. VII SUCCESSION OF COLONELS. Year 1793 Cornelius Cuyler 1 794 Russell Manners 1795 William Grinfield 1804 Sir James Henry Craig^, K.B. 1806 Sir Charles Ross, Baronet 1810 The Honorable Francis Needham 1832 William George Lord Harris . 1835 The Honorable Sir Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby, K.C.B., G.C.M.G., K.C.H. 1836 James Watson 1837 Sir Arthur Brooke, K.C.B. Page 64 66 67 68 69 71 72 Ill if EIOHTY SIXJ'H (THE ROYAL COONTY DOWN) REOIMBNT OF FOOT. r \ HISTORICAL RECORD or THR KIGHTY-SIXTH, OB THE ROYAL COUNTY DOWN REGIMENT OF F T. Thk last twelve years of the eighteenth century 1793 form a period, remarkable in the annals of Europe, for the efforts made to overthrow the governments of Christendom, and to establish the destructive domi- nation of atheism and democracy, upon the ruins of institutions which had elevated the inhabitants of thiti quarter of the globe to an height of knowledge, refinement, wealth, and power, unknown in other l)arts of the earth. France was the great theatre of commotion : there the war of hostile principles produced the most sanguinary results; — the cry of " equality " was raised, — the blood of princes, nobles, and citizens was shed, and democracy appeared to triumph over the rights of society. In other countries, republican principles were ^reading to an alarming extent ; the sovereigns of EuApe were forced to engage in war to oppose the progress of destruction, and to Great Britain pertains the honour of having persevered in this contest, for twenty years, when the overthrow of 86. B f 10 IIIMTORICAI. KKCORP OK 1 793 that tyrannical power which sprung out of the French revolution, wql: accomplished. On the commencement of hostilities in 17^3, the British army was augmented: upwards of fifty regi- ments of foot were raised, and one of the first corp*; embodied, on this occasion, was the regiment which now bears the title of the Eioiity-Sixth, 011 the Royal County Down Regiment. This corps was raised by Major-General Cornelius Cuyler, who had served with reputation in North America, and also in the West Indies, where he had performed the duties of commander-in-chief; its general rendezvous was at Shrewsbury, and its de8i;^na- tion was '' General Cuyler'h Shropshire Voluw- TEERs '" but its ranks were completed with men, prin- cipally from Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Clieshire, — counties which have furnished many excellent soldiers. Major-General Cuyler's appointment was dated tlie 30th of October, 1793, and the royal warrants for raising recruits were issued on the following day*. 1794 In February. 1794, the following officers were hold- ing commissions in the regiment: — Colonel, Major-General C. Cutler. Lieut.-Colonel, George Sladden. Major, B. M. Dickens. Captains. T. C. Hardy W. H. Digby Charles Byne Edward Robinson Lieutenants. Thomas Neilson Hugh Houstown W. S. Curry Edward Barnes Ensigns. Willm. Murray Th08. Thomhill Thomas Symes W. C. Williams "GEORGE ]R , "Whereas we have though' .l ; u, k' 1 regimen it " foot to be forthwith raised, under youi coinmand, which is to " consist of ten companies, with three Serjeants, three corporals, " two drummers, and fifty-seven private men in each company, " with two fifers to the grenadier company, besides a serjeant- "*rtugor and quarter-master-serjeant, together with the usual -_ ^.<'- - TIIK RIOilTY-MIXTII fOOT. 11 Captaint. lAeutfnantt. Entigni. Alexander CainphoU Thofl. ]'ick«>riii^ Jarara Durko Kowlaml Hill* Churlcs Hod Daiil. Mc Nfill Uohert Btfll. Geo. Mi>idlti/iorc E of the light infantry, is " appointed corporal, for hiL gallant behaviour on the " 8th instant." The conduct of the regiment was highly commended in detachment orders by Lieut.-Colonel Keating. On the morning of the 9th of July, the flank com- panies of the regiment marched into St. Denis, and entering the principal battery, struck the tricoloured flag of France, and hoisted the King's colour of the Eighty-sixth ; they were followed by the reginicnt, when the French garrison grounded their arms and embarked for the Cape of Good Hope. Representation having been made of the gallant behaviour of the Eighty-sixth at the reduction of this island, the royal authority was given for their bearing the word " Bourbon" on their colours and appointments, as a mark of their Sovereign's approba- tion, and to commemorate their gallantry on this occasion. Bourbon and the Isle of France had been blockaded fiome time; the capture of the former emboldening the British navy, a small fleet ventured within the Isle de Passe, on the south-west side of the Isle of France, where one British ship was burnt and sunk, and several disabled, which gave the enemy a superiority at sea, when their frigates menaced the batteries of Bourbon. The " Africaine" frigate arriving from England short of hands. Lieutenant W. Home, a serjeant, and twenty- five men of the Eighty-sixth went on board, and this frigate, and the " Boadicea," having put to sea under Commodore Rowley, came up with, and engaged, two French frigates. The " Boadicea" was becalmed astern, the " Africaine" fought the two French ships until Cap- THE EIGHTY-SIXTH FOOT. 45 IS tain Corbett and one hundred and sixty of his crew were 1810 killed and wounded, when the frigate being a complete wreck, she struck her colours, but Commodore Rowley coming up with the " Boadicea/' the enemy made sail, and the shattered frigate was towed into St. Paul's. Only three of the soldiers of the Eighty-sixth escaped; six having been killed, and Lieutenant Home and seventeen wounded. In September, the 'i Ceylon" frigate, having Major- General Abercroraby and staff, also Lieutenant Clarke and twenty-five men of the Eighty sixth, on board, was captured by the " La Venus" French frigate, after a severe action, in which both ships were dismasted; but Commodore Rowley appeared in the * Boadicea," re-captured the " Ceylon," and took the " La Venus." General Sir Charles Ross having been removed to the Thirty-seventh Foot, was succeeded in the colonelcy of the Eighty-sixth by Major-General the Honour- able Francis Needham, from the Fifth Royal Veteran Battalion. Lieut.-Colonel Hastings Fraser was rewarded for his conduct before St. Denis on the 8th of July, with the dignity of Companion of the Bath, the officers of the Eighty-sixth regiment presented him with a sword, and those of his brigade, in the Company's service, with a valuable piece of plate. The Eighty-sixth were removed to the Isle of igll France in March, 1811, that island having also been captured, and were there joined by Ensigns J. Creagh and J. Grant, Assistant-Surgeon Bell, and a few recruits from Europe, being part of a detachment which had been sent to India. Orders having been received for the return of the 1312 regiment to India, it sailed from Port Louis on the 9th of January, 1812, and landing at Madras on the 21st of February, encamped on the South Beach until the 46 HISTORICAL. RECORD OP 1812 departure of the Thirty-third regiment for England, when it occupied Fort St. George where Captain Impey and sixty-eight recruits were awaiting its arrival. The gallant behaviour of the regiment during the Mahratta war, and at the reduction of the island of Bourbon, had been represented to their Royal High- nesses the Prince Regent, and the Diike of York, then Commander-in-Chief, who never failed to reward merit in individuals or corps, was brought to their notice, and in May, 1812, the royal authority was given for this corps being styled the " Eighty-sixth, OR Royal County Down Regiment of Foot;" at the same time the facing was changed from yellow to blue, the lace from silver to gold j the Irish " Harp AND Crown" was placed on the buttons, and the " Harp'* was added to the distinctions displayed on the regimental colours. 1814 ^" January, 1813, the regiment commenced its march from Madras for Goa, but when ascending the Pada-naig-droog Ghauts, it received orders to proceed to Vellore, where Lieutenants Jacob and Kirkland, Ensigns Munro, Mc Lean, Mc Quarrie, Kennedy, and Mc Loughlin, with two hundred and seventeen soldiers, joined from England. Captain Impey, (brevet-major,) and Lieutenant White, died, in May, much regretted. At the end of August the regiment left Vellore, and marched through the Calistry country, a distance of four hundred miles, to the fort of Masulipatam. It was overtaken by the monsoon when on the march, near the Kistna river, and for sever..l days the soldiers had to wade through the cotton -grouv.ds, which occa- sioned much illness in the regiment, and the loss of several men after arriving in garrison at Masulipatam in October. . In the mean time the war with France was being THE EIGHTY-SIXTH FOOT. 4; prosecuted in Europe with the utmost vigour, and the 1814 strength of the Eiohty-sixth being considerably above the establishment, in consequence of receiving volunteers from the militia, His Royal Highness the Prince Regent was pleased to order a second batta' lion to be added to the regiment, in February, 1814, and to bear date from the 25th of December, 1813. The second battalion wa& formed at Hythe, under the superintendence of Major Baird; it consisted of four companiec of fine soldiers, and in March they proceeded to Colchester, under orders to embark for Holland; but the abdication of Bonaparte, and the restoration of peace, precluded the necessity of their quitting England. The battalion returned to Hythe in October, and afterwards proceeded to Deal, where it was disbanded, two hundred and sixty officers and soldiers embarking for India to join the first battalion. Previous to this date, a detachment consisting of Captain Michael Creagh, Lieutenants Home and Perry, Ensigns Goold, Bradford, Caddell, Henry, and More- ton, had joined at Masulipatam, bringing the new regimental colours. In January, 1815, the left wing marched, under the 1815 command of Captain Williams, for Hyderabad, to join the force subsidized by His Highness the Nizam, and arrived on the 2nd of February at the cantonment of Secunderabad. On the 11th of September, Major Baird, Captain Edwards, Lieutenants McLaurin, Webb, Leche, and Hodson, Ensigns Stuart, Law, Russell, Holland and . Home, with sixteen Serjeants and two hundred and thirty rank and file, (the eflfectives of the late second battalion,) arrived at Masulipatam. In January, 1816, the head-quarters were removed 1816 to Hyderabad, where they remained nine months, and afterwards returned to Masulipatam, where Captain i! 48 IlirrORICAL RECORD OF 1816 Chadwick had arrived, with forty-six recruits, from England, in the preceding August. During the period the regiment was stationed at Masulipatam and Hyderabad, it performed much severe duty in consequence of the numerous incursions into the British territories of the barbarous hordes of pre- datory horsemen, called Pindareea, whose plundering enterprises, executed on swift horses, were conducted so as to baffle the efforts of the troops sent to intercept 181 7 them. In 1817* the right wing at Masulipatam fur- nished detachments in the field under Captains Williams, Morrice, and Creagh, in the Ganjam district, on the banks of the Kistna, and towards Vizagapatam ; the left wing was also frequei^tly called out ; but the move- ments of the Pindarees were performed with so much celerity, that few of these plunderers were captured. Two of the Nizam's sons rebelled, put several of his adherents to death, and threatened to depose their father; when the left wing of the Eighty-sixth, a battalion of sepoys, and two guns, were ordered to enter the city of Hyderabad, preceded by two battalions of the Nizam's regular infantry under European officers, with two six-pounders. The Nizam's battalions were at- tacked by the insurgents in a narrow street, and over- powered, with the loss of fifty officers and soldiers and one gun. The light company of the Eighty-sixth, with sixty pioneers under Lieutenant James Creagh, being in advance recovered the gun, and covered the removal of the killed and wounded to a square, where the two native battalions had retreated and taken post. On the appearance of Europeans, the insurgents dis- persed; the rebel Princes surrendered and were sent prisoners to the fort of Golconda, when order was restored. The left wing marched for Masulipatam during the hot season, which occasioned several deaths. On one THE B101ITY-8IXTI1 FOOT. 49 a occasion, Lieutenant Taylor and two soldiers were in- 181? terred with difficulty, from the decomposed state of their bodies, although they had been dead only a few hours. On another occasion the guides led the column by a wrong road, occasioning a long and harassing march, which proved fatal to several men. The flank companies marched from Masulipatam in 1818 January, 1818, under Captain Michael Creagh, and with two troops of native cavalry and a company of sepoy grenadiers, proceeded to Datchapilly, on the borders of the Nizam's dominions, to protect the fron- tiers from the depredations of the Pindarees. Orders for the return of the regiment to England were issued in 1816, but countermanded in consequence of the hostile conduct of the Pindarees: they were repeated in April, 1818, when the regiment commenced its march for Madras, and when within one stage of that place, the route was changed to Wallaghabad. Previous to embarking the regiment was inspected by Major-General Brown, commanding the centre division, who expressed in orders, — "To Colonel Hastings " Fraser, his greatest approbation of the good conduct " and discipline of the regiment since it had been ** under his command in the centre division, in the " attainment of which he had been so ably supported " by the officers of the corps.'* While the regiment was waiting to embark, the " Orlando" frigate arrived at Madras, from Ceylon, with an application from the governor. General Sir Robert Brownrigg, for immediate aid to suppress the hostile aggressions of the Kandians inhabiting the interior of the island; the mortality among the European troops, employed in the interior, being so great, as to render further aid indispensable. The flank companies of the Eighty-sixth were completed to one hundred rank and file each, and embarked on board the frigate ^:m 50 HISTORICAL RECORD OF 1818 to proceed on this service*; they landed at Trincomalee on the 12th of September^ and made preparations for penetrating the interior, during which time Major Marston was taken ill. From TrincQjnalee the flank companies of the Eighty-sixth sailed, on the 18th of September, under Captain M.Creagh, and landing on the 21st, encamped near the fort of Batticoloe, where the sick men of the Nineteenth and Seventy-third Regiments, sent from the interior, were dying fast j a hundred had been buried close to the tents of the Eighty-sixth, and several deaths occurred daily. On the 25th of September, the flank companies of the regiment again embarked in open boats, and pro- ceeding during the night up the lake, landed on the following day at Mandoor, from whence they marched through thick jungle, thirteen miles up a gradual ascent, exposed to heavy rain, to the Mangalar river. On the 29th they traversed twelve miles of uncultivated ground, fording several streams, to the post of Chinna Kandy, commanded by Lieutenant Robinson, of the Nineteenth Regiment, whose detachment was suffering severely from ague and fever. Fifteen miles of rugged country, covered with under- wood destitute of roads, and infested with wild ele- phants, were traversed on the 1st of October, to the post of Kataboa, commanded by Captain Ritchie, of the Seventy-third Regiment, who had buried nearly a hundred men of his detachment at this place, and of '* List of officers who served against the Kandians. Major Marston commanding. Grenadier Company, Captain, Michael Creagh; Lieutenants, William Home, David Bradford, Andrew Russell. Light Company, Captain, Archibald Mc Lean ; Lieutenants, James Creagh, P. P. Goold, and Edward Caddell ; Assistant Sur- geon, R. H. Bell. TUB EIOHTY-SIXTH FOOT. 51 the seventy Europeans left alive, the captain and 1818 assistant surgeon were the only persons free from fever. At this place the Eighty-sixth were joined by seventy rank and file of the Ceylon corps, under Lieutenant Noonan, who was to act as interpreter and guide. The march was resumed on the 3rd of October, through a wild region, where elephants, buffaloes, hogs, and deer were seen in abundance, also pea and jungle fowl, but no human beings, and on the 6th the two companies arrived at Palwatee, together with Lieutenant Stuart, of the Ceylon corps, and a chieftain and his followers, who had joined on the preceding day. Having arrived in the districts infested by the insurgent Kandians, parties of the Eighty-sixth, and Ceylon corps, were out day and night scouring the hills, and for three weeks the soldiers were actively employed in the mountains searching for the haunts of the rebel chiefs, and their followers, — pursuing them from place to place, — taking many prisoners, — also making seizures of muskets, bows, arrows, and other military stores. Private Stanton, of the light company, was seized by an elephant, which broke his musket, tore off his belts, and threw him some distance into the jungle, causing his death. During the absence of the parties, the camp was attacked, by a body '>f Kandians, in the night, but the skilful arrangements of the officers in charge pre- served the soldiers from injury, and the fire of a cohorn put the insurgents to flight. Captain A. Mc Lean died from fever, much regretted. The health of the soldiers suffered from excessive fatigue, bad provisions, constant exposure to the sun, rain, and heavy dews, and their legs and feet were ulcerated with leech-bites, — every pool, stream, bush, and blade of grass being infested with leeches, which obliged the officers and soldiers to march barefoot, 52 IIIMTOniCAL HKCORD OP J' 1818 with their trousers cut off at the knee, that they might detect the leeches. Sickness increasing rapidly, and all the Coolies, — natives of India who accompanied the troops to carry provision, ammunition, &c., — being attacked. Captain Creagh marched his men from the low country, to the hilly districts, taking post at Hotpeira, where Lieutenant Goold, with a small de- tachment, had erected a shed, and collected a supply of grain and cattle. Lieutenant Goold proceeded with as many sick as means of conveyance could be procured for, to Badula, where the camp was frequently attacked in the night by the wild elephants, the tents, huts, and sheds destroyed, and several natives and followers killed; but the soldiers all escaped unhurt. Detachments were constantly employed day and night searching out the haunts of the insurgent chiefs, and making many captures, including the crown, jewels, horse, and favourite elephant of the Kandian king. Overthrown in every rencounter, and chased from place to place with diminished numbers, the Kandians lost all hope of success ; the leaders in the insurrection tendered their submission, the lower orders followed their example, and tranquillity was at last restored. In the mean time the eight battalion companies of the regiment had arrived at the island of Ceylon, but their services not being required, they returned to Madras, leaving one company at Trincomalee. The services of the flank companies of the Eighty- sixth being no longer required, they were relieved by the Ceylon corps, and marched to Badula, where, in garrison orders, dated the 19th of November, the following order appeared: — "Colonel McDonell per- " forms a pleasing duty in bearing his public testimony " of his entire approbation of the good conduct and " patience, which, (under so many trying difficulties,) TIIR EIGIITY-8IXTH FOOT. 59 "have distinguished the detachment of the Eighty- 1818 " SIXTH Regiment. lie requests Captain Creagh will " be pleased to convey to the officers and men, his un- " qualified thanks for their services, &c., &c." From Badula the two flank companies, reduced to five officers, two serjeants, two drummers, and sixty- six rank and file, commenced their march on the 20th of November; the periodical rains had set in, and the rivers were so full and rapid, that much diffi- culty was experienced. On arriving at Kataboa, Cap- tain Ritchie's detachment was found nearly annihila- ted. At this place an elephant was pro'^ >red, to con- vey the stores and men across the rivers; and the march was continued to Chinna Kandy, where tl'e military establishment was found in a state of r ,in. Lieutenant Robinson had left the post sick, — the three Serjeants had died, — the defences were destroyed by the wild elephants, — the building containing the ^ -o- visions was washed away by the rains, and th'i few surviving men were unable to move : with much diffi- culty a small supply was recovered from the wreck, for the use of the detachment. From these statements, some idea may be formed of the vicissitudes of actual service, the casualties of climate, the privations and sufferings which chequer the career of those who embrace the military pro- fession, and the sacrifice of valuable life by which colonial possessions are acquired and retained, and many national benefits obtained and p x-r /.rved*. After a march of ten days, exposed to almost incessant rain, the fiank companies arrived at Mandoor, where they halted forty-eight hours to recover, and afterwards sailed down the lake to Batticoloe, from • See Preface. 54 HISTORICAL RECORD OF 1818 whence they were directed to inarch, through a low flat country almost covered with water, to Trincomalee, instead of proceeding thither hy sea, as had been expected. Two canoes and the elephant were sent forward; the men proceeded forty miles in boats along the coast, then landed and marched ten days, through a country almost covered with water, with scarcely sufficient ground to rest upon. The tents were destroyed by the wet, and abandoned; the elephant proceeded in advance, feeling for the rivers ; the canoes, conveying the sick, were dragged by Coolies and soldiers wading in the water, and in this state the two companies reached Cottiar bay, on the 18th of December. Boats being in readiness, they embarked for Trincomalee, and with difficulty crossed the bar; soon afterwards the wind changed, the sea became rough, and it was found impracticable either to prosecute the voyage, or to return across the bar with leaky open boats. With much danger and difficulty they gained a rock in the bay, where the soldiers passed the night, huddled together, menaced with being swept oflf when the tide arose, and destitute of provisions and fresh water. The wind and rain abating, they again embarked on the following morning, and on arriving at the inner harbour, were met by the boats of the ships of war, which had been cruizing for them, but were unable, from the roughness of the weather, to rescue them from their perilous situation, on the preceding night. On passing the "Orlando" frigate, the seamen cheered, but the soldiers gave a feeble response. On landing, twelve men were sent to the hospital, four lieutenants, one serjeant, two drummers? and forty-seven rank and file, under Captain Creagh, in rags, their feet and legs bare, and ulcerated, emaci- ated and tottering from exhaustion and hunger, entered the fort ; the pitiable remains of two hundred picked THE EIGHTY-SIXTH FOOT. 55 the men, who marched out only three months before, 1818 forming two fine flank companies equal to any service. On landing, Lieutenant William Home, found his brother. Ensign Home, dead in the hospital. Ensign Home belonged to a battalion company of the regiment, part of which was detached at Minnery, — a most un- healthy post, where nearly all the non-commissioned officers and soldiers had died. Two days after the arrival of the flank companies of the Eighty-sixth, from the interior, a General Order was issued, in which the Commander of the Forces in Ceylon expressed his "acknowledgments to Major " Marston, Captain Creagh, and to all the officers and " soldiers of that distinguished corps, for the gallant and " important services rendered 1 »y them in suppressing the " Kandian rebellion, at the same time, he cannot con- ** ceal the deep regret he feels at the severe loss which " has fallen on the detachment, and the death of a gal- " lant officer. Captain Archibald Mc Jjcan, and many " brave soldiers." General Sir Robert Brownrigg also states, "Captain " Creagh's gallant and most useful services in the com- " mand of the flank companies of the Eighty-sixth " Regiment, during the Kandian war, under very trying " circumstances, was such, as to entitle him to the " favourable notice of His Royal Highness the Com- " mander-in-Chief, and to the best commendation I can " bestow on him." On the 15th of January, 1819, the detachment i gig embarked, and, after putting to sea, was driven back by contrary winds, but landed at Madras, on the 5 th of February, and joined the regiment at Poonamalee, on the same evening. The health of the party was not re- established, and Lieutenant Caddell, Assistant- Surgeon Bell, and several soldiers, died after their arrival at Madras. 56 HISTORICAL RECORD OF 1819 The period for the return of the regiment to Europe, having arrived, the following statement appeared in General Orders, dated Madras, 6th March, 1819, — " The Lieut.-General has traced with gratification, the *' well-earned tributes of applause, bestowed by succes- " sive governments, and commanders, in commendation " of the numerous instances of gallantry and efficiency " displayed during the active and varied service in " which His Majesty's Eighty-sixth, or Royal " County Down Regiment of Foot, has been engaged " since its arrival in the East Indies ; and Colonel **^ Eraser, the ofl&cers, and men, are requested to accept " His Excellency's thanks for the correct and orderly " conduct of the corps." In general orders by government, dated the 20th of March, 1819, it was stated, — " The meritorious conduct of His Majesty's Twenty- fifth Light Dragoons, and Eighty-sixth Regiment of Foot, in every situation where they have been employed during the long period of their services in India, has been brought under the notice of govern- ment, in a particular manner, by His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, as establisi i't^.^ for them strong " claims to its consideration ; and the honourable men* " tion which has been made by his Excellency the " Commander-in-Chief, has been coupled with the ex- " pression of his Excellency's wish, that their services " may meet with the same acknowledgment, on their approaching departure, as, in general orders, dated 27th August, 1805, and 11th October, 1806, marked tho close of the distinguished career of His Majesty's " Seventy-fourth Regiment, and Nineteenth Light '' Dragoons, then returning to England ; concurring " entirely in the commendations which His Majesty's " Twenty-fifth Light Dragoons, and Eighty-sixth " Foot, have received from the Commander-in-Chief, (( ti it (t it (( it it it THE EIGHTY-SIXTH FOOT. 57 " and entertaining the same high sense of their merits 1819 " and services, the Governor in Council is pleased to " extend, to the officers of those corps, the indulgence " recommended by his Excellency, and, accordingly, " directs that a donation of three months' full batta be " passed to them on the occasion of their embarkation " for Europe." Five hundred and sixty non-comm'ssioned officers and soldiers having volunteered to remain in India, transferring their services to other corps, the remainder of the regiment sailed for England in April, and in October anchored off the Nore, where the ship was placed under quarantine, Lieutenant John Campbell and several soldiers having died during the voyage. On the 23rd of October, the regiment landed at Gravesend, after an absence from England of tiventy- three years and four months, bringing back only fwo individuals, Major D. Marston and Quarter- Master R. Gill, who embarked with it in June, 1796, the latter as a private. The regiment joined the depot companies at Can- terbury, where Lieut -Colonel John Johnson succeeded to the lieut.-colonelcy, on the promotion of Colonel Eraser, C.B., to the rank of major-general. During the winter, the regiment marched to Chiches- ter, sending two companies to Brighton, and in April, 1820, it was removed to Weedon and Northampton, 1820 where two hundred and fifty recruits joined from Ireland. In February, 1821, the regiment proceeded to 1821 Chatham ; in October it embarked at Bristol, for Ire- land, and, after landing at Waterford, occupied quarters at that place, having nine detached parties, until April, 1822, when the head-quarters were removed to Naas, 1322 and in July, the regiment occupied Richmond barracks, Dublin. From Dublin, the regiment proceeded, in May, 1823, 1823 86. E 58 HISTORICAL RECORD OF 1823 to Athlone, and in October to Armagh, where the authority of His Majesty, King George IV., was received for bearing the word "India" on the colours and appointments, "in consideration of the distinguished " conduct ox the regiment during the period of its ser- " vice in India, from the year l79i^j to the year 1819." 1824 In March, 1824, the head-quarters were removed to 1825 Newry; in January, 1825, the regiment proceeded to Naas; in June it was removed to Clonmel*, and in 1826 the spring of 1826, it marched to Buttevant, — furnish- ing numerous detached parties. On quitting the south-west district, Major-General Sir Charles Doyle expressed, in a letter to the commanding officer, his " entire satisfaction " at the conduct of the regiment, while under his orders. 1826 Lieut.-Colonel Johnson retired on half-pay, and was succeeded as commanding officer, by Lieut.-Colonel Maliett, 0. B., from the Eighty-ninth regiment. In the autumn, the regiment was formed into six service, and four depdt companies, preparatory to its embarkation for the West Indies f. In October, the I -^V * At Clonmel, the regiment lost a fine young officer, Lieutenant Frederick Close, whose body was found in the river Suir, together with the body of a young lady named Grubb. The cause of their melancholy fate was never ascertained. t Names of the Offtckks who proceeded to the West Indies, in 1026:— In the *' Princess Royal," — Lieut.-Colonel J. W. Mallet ; Cap- tains Robert Crawford, Jaines Creagh ; Lieutenants Francis Kear- ney, Lewis Halliday ; Ensign Robert Mayne ; Adjuir.nt Jolni Dolman ; and Surgeon A. Cunningham. In the " Waterloo,"— Cap^aiw R. B. Usher; Lieutenants P. North, F. H. Dalgety, Lewis Grant ; Ensigns James Galwey, J. B. Selway, E. Davis, and W. Johnson. In the " Thetis," — Major Michael Creagh : Captains Alexan- der McLean, R. B. Wolseley ; Lieutenants J. Grant, J. Mclntyre ; and Quarter-Master J. Jerome. THE EIGHTY-SIXTH FOOT. 59 service companies proceeded to Cork, leaving the dep6t 1826 under Captain Stuart^ at Buttevant, and embarking on board the « Princess Royal," " Waterloo," and "Thetis," transports, sailed for Barbadoes, from whence they were ordered to Trinidad and Tobago, to relieve the Ninth Regiment, which was about to return home. The retirement of Major Baird occasioned Major Michael Creagh to return from the West Indies, to take com- mand of the depot. At Trinidad, the regiment occupied the Orange- 1827 Grove Barracks, until the completion of the new bar- racks at St. James's. During the year 1827, Ensign Selway died at Tobago, and the loss by deaths, at the two islands of Trinidad and Tobago, amounted to three Serjeants, forty rank and file, and eleven soldiers* wives. In January, 1828, the regiment was relieved by the 1828 first battalion of the Royal Regiment, and proceeded to the island of Barbadoes, where Adjutant Dolman, three Serjeants, and fifty-six rank and file, died of fevers con- tracted at Trinidad and Tobago. The regiment remained at Barbadoes during the year 1829; in January, 1830, it was removed to Antigua, 1^29 St, Kitts, and Montserrat. 1830 On the 2nd of December, Major W. Richardson died at Antigua, univcsally regretted by the officers and soldiers of the regiment, who testified their regard for his merits, by erecting a monument to his memory in the church of Newry, County Down. He 'vas the last of the three brothers who served with disti.i.ction in the coi'ps. In March, 1831, the slaves of Antigua, being 1831 opposed to the abolition of the Sunday market, set fire to several plantations, when a strong fletachment was sent to protect the town of St. John's, wliere it remained until traiiquillity was restored. CO HISTORICAL RECORD OF 1832 Colonel Mallet, C.B., after having assumed charge of the civil government at St. Lucia, died at that island, very much regretted by the regiment ; and was succeeded, in Fehruary, 1832, by Lieut.-Colonel Michael. Cuf.agh, from the half-f)ay, whose services are recorded in tlie preceding pages. In the spring of this year, His Mivjeisty, Xinr William IV., was graciou ly pleased to approve of the regiment beai*ing on its crdours and appointaients the Irish " Harp and Cbown^' and the motto ** Quis Sep A R ABIT ?^' the harp and crown only was sissumeil when the corps obtained the title of Royal Couxty Down Regiment. .During.; this year, detachments were employed in (ViKitrollira; the disposition to violence evinced by the slave-pcpulatioii at Tortola, Barbuda, and other places. Om die decease of General the Earl of Kilmorey, the c()lonelc;y of the regiment was conferred on Major- General William George Lord Harris, K.C.B. by com- mission, dated 3rd December, 1832. 1833 ^" February, 1833, the regiment was removed to Demarara and Berbice, with detached companies at Fort Wellington, Mahaica, and Fort D'Urban. Lieut.-Colonel Sir Michael Creagh, K.H., arrived from England, on the 1st of March, bringing with him the new colours, presented to the regiment by the late Earl of Kilmorey, bearing the " Harp and Crown '* with the motto " Quis Separabii ?" also the " Sphinx,^' and the words " Egypt, " Bourbon," " India ;" — distinctions reflecting honour on the corps, and calcu- lated to stimulate the youthful soldiers of the regiment to emulate the noble example of their predecessors. 1834 The regiment remained at Demerara and Berbice during the years 1834 and 1835. 1835 In December, 1P35, Major-Genera' Lord Harris was appointed to the Seventy-third Ki ^iment, and THE EIGHTY-SIXTH FOOT. 61 Major-General the Honourable Sir Frederic Cavendish 1835 Ponsonby, K.C.B.^ was appointed to the colonelcy of the Eighty-Sixth Regiment. This officer was re- moved to the Royal Dragoons, in March, 1836, and was 1836 succeeded by Major-General James Watson, C.B. From Demerara and Berbice, the regiment was re- moved in May, 1836, to Barbadoes. On the 20th of February, 1837, the regiment was 1837 inspected, preparatory to its return to England, by Lieut.- General Sir Samford Whittingham, who stated in a letter to Lieut.-Colonel Sir Michael Creagh, that he had " reported the Eighty-sixth, as about to em- " bark for England, after ten years' service in the West " Indies, in a state of hardy, soldier-like efficiency, fit, " if necessary, for immediate service in the field : a " circumstance alike creditable to the commanding " officer and to the corps." On the embarkation of the regiment, on the 21st of March, the follow- ing appeared in general orders: — " The Lieutenant- " General Commanding the Forces, having in person " witnessed the embarkation of the Eighty-sixth " Regiment this morning, it gives him sincere satis- " faction to express in general orders his acknowlge- " ments of the soldier-like and orderly manner in which " it was conducted. The arrangements were perfect, " and the whole proceeding reflects the highest credit " on Lieut.-Colonel Sir Michael Creagh, the officers, " non-commissioned officers, and soldiers, of the Royal " County Down Regiment. They carry with them the " Lieut.-General's best wishes for their future honour " and welfare." In May the service-companies arrived at Chatham, having sustained a loss of five officers, and two hundred and niir^ty-miie soldiers, during the period they had iv on absent ir>m Great Britain, and bringing back ",n four hundred and twentv-four eifective men. The 62 HISTORICAL IlKCOlin OF 1837 (lep6t companies arrived at Chatham from Ireland, on the following day*. On the 24th of May, Lieut.-General Watson was removed to the Fourteenth Foot, and was succeeded by Lieut.-Oeneral Sir Arthur Brooke, K.C.B. In June the regiment marched to Weedon, where it was inspected on the 8th of August by General Lord Hill, Commanding-in-Chief, who expressed to Lieut.- Colonel Sir Michael Creagh, in front of the regiment, his approbation of the highly efficient state of the corps, after so long a service in the West Indies. After the inspection, the regiment marched into Lancashire, and occupied Salford-barracks, Manchester, detaching one company to the Isle of Man. During the Chartist disturbances, the Eighty-sixth were much employed, and frequently received the thanks of Major-General Sir Charles Napier, and Colonel Wemyss. 1838 In April, 1838, the head-quarters and flank com- panies were removed to Stockport, in Cheshire ; but 1839 returned to Manchester, in June, 1839; and in June, 1840 1840, the regiment embarked at Liverpool for Ireland, and landed at Belfast; in September it was removed to Dublin. 1841 The regiment was employed in the summer of 1841, at Templemore, Clonmel, Cork, and other pbces, aiding the civil power in the preservation of the public peace, during the election of members of parliament, and were particularly thanked for their conduct and forbearance. * State of Loss : — Triiiidiid nu<\ Tohngo .... 42 hnrhfuhtnH ...... 71 Antigua, Hi. Kift«, Montmsirat, and Tortola 72 UritiHh (jluiuim . , . . .114 200 c_ LlGIiry SlXfT! (THR hOTAL COCKTY DOWN) liEGIlIENT OF KoOT. Jftj THE BlOHi ^IXTII FOOT. 63 The regiment received orders to form their dep6t 1841 companies preparatory to proceeding on service. The Gazette of January 7> 1B42, announced the 1842 exchange of Lieut.-Colonel Sir Michael Creagh, K.H., with Lieut.-Colonel Derinzy, K.II., of the Eleventh regiment. At the period of the conclusion of this record, the Eighty-sixth, or the Royal County Down Regiment, is under orders again to proceed to India. Although comparatively a young corps, it has per- formed much valuable service to the country in all quarters of the globe; it had not the good fortune to serve in the Peninsular War, in which so many corps acquired honorary inscriptions ; but it has earned distinctions for its colours, which furnish a powerful in- centive to perseverance in the path of duty and honor to all who may have their names recorded in the books of this distinguished regiment. 1842. I SUCCESSION OF COLONET.S or THE EIGHTY-SIXTH, ou THE UOVAL COUNTY DOWN REGIMENT Ob' FOOT. Cornelius Cuyleu. Appointed ^th October ^ 1793. CoRNRMvs CuYLER was appointed enyip;!! in the fifty-fifth foot, on the Slat of May, 17^9, and, immediately proceeding to North America, joined his regiment before tho fort of Ticonderago, on the west shore of Lake Champlain, in July of the same year, in time to take part in the reduction of that post. In I76O ho served at tho reduction of Isle-aux-Noix and at tho capture of Montreal, which completed the con- quest of Canada. In 1764 he was appointed captain in the forty-sixth foot, with which corps he served two years on the frontiers of North America, one year at New York, and eight in Ireland. On tho breaking out of tho American war in 177^, he was appointed first aide-de-camp to Licutenant- General Sir William Howe, who proceeded to Boston with reinforcements. In 1 776, ho was promoted to major in the fifty-fifth, but continued to perform the duty of first aide-de- camp to Sir William Howe, then commanding in chief in North America, and served at the reduction of Long Island, the capture of New York, and the battle of White Plains. He also accompanied the expedition to Pennsylvania in 1777, and served at the battles of Brandywinc, and Germantown, and in November of that year he succeeded Colonel Meadows, who was removed to tho fifth foot, in the lieutenant-colonelcy of the fifty-fifth, which corps he commanded in the retreat from Philadelphia to New York in 1778, and was at the 8UCCEMIUN UV COLUNULC. 00 1)AttIu uf Freehold, under Liuutennnt^CKtiieral ii'w Henry Clinton. In Novenihcr of tliftt year lio proceeded with his rej,'inient to tho West Indies, nnd was enjraged in the eapturo of 8t. Lucio. IIo performed tho duties of ' djutniit-gcneral to tho troops in tho West Indies, under Mnjor-General CMiristie, in 1781; ho afterwards perfoniiod tho dtities of quarter-master- general in tho West Indies until 17^4 when ho returned to England, and took tho command of his regi- ment, then in Ireland. In 17^7 ho was appointed to tho situation of quartermaster-general in tho West Indies, which ho held imtil 17^2, when ho succeeded to tho command of tho forces in tho Windward and Leeward Islands. lie com- nuinded an expedition against Tobago, and, having captured the principal fort by storm, on tho morning of the 15th of April, 17^3, tho island submitted. Returning to England soon afterwards, he was promoted to thu rank of major- general, and appointed colonel of tho Eioiity-sixtii Regiment, then first raised, and styled " Cuyler's Shropshire Volunteers." IIo was also placed on tho staff of Great Britain, and in April, 1794, ho obtained tho appointment of lieutenant- governor of Portsmouth : in Juno of that year ho was removed from tho Eiohty-sixth to tho sixty-ninth regiment. In June, 1796, ho was appointed commander-in-chief in tho West Indies, with the local rank of lieutenant-general ; in January, 1798, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant- general in the army, and returned to England in May follow- ing. In Juno he was appointed to the conmiand of tho tSu»sex district ; and in January, 17^9, he was nominated couiii4|j^der-in-chief in Portugal, — the government of that country having refused to ratify a treaty of peace with France, and agreed to receive British troops into the jiorts : he returned to England in November, the greater part of tho troops being sent to the Mediterranean. The rank of general was conferred on this distinguished officer in 1803; he was also appointed governor of Kinsale, and, in July, 1814,, ho was further rewarded with the dignity of Bauonet. General Sir Cornelius Cuyler, Banmct, died at St. John'ti Lodge, Herts, on the 8th of March, 1819, after an honourable service of sixty years. 66 SUCCESSION OF COLONELS. Russell Manners. Appointed 20th June, 1794. This officer was appointed cornet in the royal regiment of horse^guards, in May, 17^*^; captain in the seventh dra- goons, in February, 1758, and in April, 1 760, he was pro- moted to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the twenty-first dra- goons, or royal foresters. He served in Germany under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick, and, at the peace in 1763, when the royal foresters were disbanded, he was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the second dragoon guards. On the breaking out of the American war, in 1775, he was appointed colonel of the nineteenth light dragoons, — then newly raised ; in 1777} he was promoted to the rank of major-general, and, in 1782, to that of lieutenant-general; in 1783 his regiment was disbanded. The colonelcy of the Eighty-sixth foot was conferred on Lieutenant-General Manners in 1794 ; in 1795 he was removed to the twenty-sixth light dragoons, and in I'iifO he was promoted to the rank of general. On the 23rd of May, 1800, as General Manners was riding, accompanied by two other gentlemen, in a post-chaise, to Cambridge, he was stopped by two highwaymen, who de- manded his money, when he shot one dead on the spot, and the other rode off. In September of the same year, he was residing at Southend, for the benefit of his health, and, hav- ing a presentiment of his approaching death, he set off for London, alone, to obtain medical advice, but he was taken ill on the road, and died at an inn, at Billericay, in Essex, on the 11th September, 1800. William Grinpield. Appointed 25th March, 1795. William Grinpield was appointed ensign in the third foot guards, in 1760 ; he was promoted to the rank of lieu- tenant and captain in 1767? to that of captain and lieutenant- colonel in 1776, and in 1782 he was promoted to the rank of SUCCESSION OF COLONELS. 67 colonel in the army. In 1786 l>c obtained the commiRsion of second major in his regiment. He commanded the first bat- talion of the third foot guards, under His Royal Highness the Duke of York, in Flanders, and evinced great personal bravery and ability on several occasions, particularly at the siege of Valenciennes, and at the re-capture of the post of Lincelles on the 18th of August, 1793, for which he received the thanks of the Duke of York in general orders. He had been appointed lieutenant-colonel of the third foot guards a few days before this action occurred, and in October of the same year he was promoted to the rank of major-general. In 1795 he was rewarded with the colonelcy of the Eighty- sixth foot; in 1798 he was promoted to the rank of lieu- tenant-general, and at that eventful period he was called upon to transfer his services to the West Indies, with the important appointment of commander of the forces in the Windward and Leeward islands. On the renewal of hos- tilities with France in 1803, he commanded an expedition against St. Lucie, and, having captured the fort of Mome Fortune by storm on the 22nd of June, the island submitted. He landed on the island of Tobago on the 30th of June, and, by a spirited advance upon Scarborough, forced the French General, Berthier, to surrender. He captured the islands of Demerara and Essequibo, from the Dutch, on the 19th of September, and Berbice, in a few days afterwards. On the 25th of September he was promoted to the rank of general. He died at Barbadoes on the 19t.h of October, 1803, of the yellow fever, surviving his lady only three days. It is re- corded, that a short time before he left England for the West Indies, Mrs. Grinfield's brother died, leaving them JE20,000 ; the general, finding two cousins of the deceased were left unprovided for, observed to his lady, that, as themselves pos- sessed an ample fortune, he purposed making provision for the unfortunate relatives ; she readily assenting, he sent for them, and divided the whole legacy between them. 68 SUCCESSION OF COLONELS. Sir James Henuy Craio, KB. Appointed 5th Januari/^ 1804. James Henry Craio obtained a commission of ensign in the thirtieth foot on the 1st of June, 1763, and he served with his regiment several years at the fortress of Gibraltar, In March, 1771, he was promoted captain in the forty-seventh foot, with which corps he served in the American war. Tha forty-seventh were at Boston when hostilities commenced; they took part in the actions at Concord and Bunker's Hill in 1775, and in 1776 they served in Canada. In December, 1777, Captain Craig was promoted major in the eighty- second regiment, then serving in America, and in 1781 ho obtained the lieutenant-colonelcy of that corps, from which he was removed, in 1783, to the sixteenth foot. In I7OO ho was promoted to the rank of colonel, in 1794 to that of major-general, and in 1795 his services were rewarded with the colonelcy of the forty-sixth foot. In 1801 he was ad- vanced to the rank of lieutenant-general, and was removed tu the Eighty-sixth regiment in 1804. On the 25th of March, 1805, he was appointed commander-in-chief in the Mediter- ranean, with the local rank of general ; he was also honoured with the dignity of a Knight of the Bath, and nominated governor of Blackness Castle; in 1806 ho was removed to the twenty-second regiment. The services of General Sir James Craig were afterwards transferred to British North America, of which country he was appointed governor, with the local rank of general in Upper and Lower Canada, dated the 21 st of August, 1807- In 1809 he was removed to the colonelcy of the sevent3''-eighth highland regiment, or Romh- shirc buffs. On the Ist of January, 1812, he was prouioled to the rank of general in the army, which he only held a fyw days, his decease occurring on the 12th of the same month. &in Charles Ros&, Bart. Appointed 30th October, 1800. Charles Ross, son of Admiral Sir Lockhart Rohh, ut Balnagown, Bart., who signalized himself during the Mcvctt SUCCMSaiON OP COLON KLS. 69 years' war, obtained a commission of comet in the seventh ilragoons, in January, 1780, and in May, 17^4, he was promoted captain in the third Irish horse, now sixth dragoon guards, in which corps he remained three years, when he was advanced to the commission of major in the thirty-seventh foot. On the 16th of March, 1791, he was promoted to the lieut. -colonelcy of his regiment, and ho performed the duty of commanding officer several years with reputation to himself and advantage to the service. lie afterwards took an active part in raising the hundred and sixteenth regiment, but this corps was disbanded in 1796. On the 18th of June, 1798, he was promoted to the rank of major-general, and to that of lieut.-general, in October, 1805. In December of the same year, he was appointed colonel of the eighty-fifth foot, from which he was removed, in October, 1806, to the Eighty-sixth, and in June, 1810, he was appointed to the thirty-seventh regiaient. He was en- dowed with many amiable qualities, which rendered him an ornament to his country ; he was emin'.'ntly useful in every relation which connected him with society, particularly courteous in public life, and affectionate and valuable as a friend. He died at Balnagown Castle, in the county of Ross, on the 8th of February, 1814. The Honorable Fuancis Neei>ham. Appointed 25th June.^ 1810. The Honorable Francis-Jack Needham, third son of John, tenth Viscoimt of Kilmoroy, choosing the profession of arms, procured a commission of cou.'^'; in the eighteenth dragoons, on the 17th of December, 1762; in February, 1765, he .-as removed to the first dragoons, in which corps he obtained a lieutenancy in 1771, -T^nd in May, 1774, he was promoted captain in the seventeenth dragoons. Ho accompanied his regiment to North America, in the spring of 1775, and served at Boston under Lieut.-General Gage ; he also served at the capture of Long Island under Geni^ral Sir William Iff- we, and received, with his regiment, the thanks of the Commander-in-Chief, for his conduct at the I 70 SUCCESSION OK COLONELS. battle of Brooklyn. He also served in the actions at Whito Plains, and in the Jerseys; afterwards proceeded to Phila- delphia, took part in several skirmishes in Pennsylvania, and in covering the retreat to New York, in the performance of which service he was engaged at Freehold. He was subse- quently stationed in the lines in front of New York, where he was taken prisoner by the Americans. In August, 1 ^&), he was promoted major in the seventy-sixth Highland regi- ment, then serving in America, with which corps he shared in the contest until the peace. In February, 1783, he was promoted to the lieut.-colonalcy of the hundred and fourth regiment, and six weeks afterwards he wai appointed cap- tain and lieut.-cohmel in the first foot gaards; he was nominated aidr de-camp to the King in 17^3, with the rank of colonel. In 1794 he was appointed adjutant-general of the expedition to the coast of France, under Lieut.- General the Earl of Moira; and in 1795 he was appointed third major in the first foot guards, promoted to the rank of major-general, and placed on the home staff. He was sub- sequently detached, second in command to Major-Gen*raI Doyle, with Monsieur Compte D' Artois and his suite, to tak<> possession of Isle Diou, which place the troops maintained so long as the navy could afford them protection. An ap- pointment on the staff of Ireland was next conferred on him, and he commanded a body of troops during the rebellion in 1798; he was at the battle of Avklow, on the 9th of June, and commanded a division at Vinegar HilJ, on the 21st of June. He continued on the staff of Ireland until April, 1802, when he was promoted to the rank of lieut.-general. He had previously been appointed lieut. -colonel in the first foot guards (Slst of August, 1801,) and in April, 1804, he obtained the colonelcy of the fifth veteran battalion. In 1806, he was elected member of parliament for Newry, and ho sat for that borough in four parliaments. He was ap- pointed colonel of the Eighty-sixth Regiment in 1810, and took great interest in the reputation and welfare of his corps : in 1812 he was promoted to the rank of general. On the decease of his brothor Robert, in 1818, he succeeded to the dignity of Viscount Ktlmorey. Large and influential SUCCESSION OP COLON KLS. 71 estates in Ireland were bequeathed to liim by a distant rela- tion ; and in January, 1822, he was advanced to the dignity of Earl op Kilmorey and Viscount Newry and Morne, in the County Down, Ireland. This excellent and patriotic nobleman died at his seat of Shavington, in Shropshire, on the 21 st of November, 1832, much regretted, particularly by his numerous tenants in Ireland, to whom he had evinced greaC kindness. William George Lord Harris. Appointed 3rd December, 1832. Removed to the seventy-third regiment of foot, 4th Drcember, 1835. The Honorable Sir Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby, KCB., GCMG., KCH., Appointed 4th December, J 836. FoNORABLE Fredf'iick Cavendish Ponsonby, third son of Frederick, -shird Earl of Besborough, was appointad comet in the tenth ctragoons, in 1800, and rose, in 1803, to the commiMion of captain in the same corps, from which ho exchanged to the sixtieth regiment, in 1806. In 1807, he was appoii ted major in the twenty-third light dragoons, at the head of which corps he distinguished himself at the battle of Talavera, in 1809, and was promoted, m 1810, to the lifutenant-colonelcy o^ th<^ regiii»nt. In 1811 he served under Lieut.-0«»neral Grahanri at 'adiz : and at the battlo of liarossa, in Miach of that year, he attackod, with a squadron of (fprman dragoons, the Frendb cavalry covering the re- treat, verthrew them, took two guns, and even attempted, though mainly, to na^e R'-imciin- battali'ms. On the 11th of Juno, 1811, he yr*m appointee' iTfcUt.-colonel of the twelfth light dnigoons ; at U^ head of which corps he served under Lord We)^'«gton, and '^wttnguisfacd hin)8elf, in April, 1812, at Llercn.'i «i one of ts*; nK«t brilliant cavalry actionff during the war. At the battle of JWlamanca he charged the French infantry, broke his trm'^d m the figlit, and hip horse received several bayonet wowdk He repeatedly evinced ^eat judg- 72 SUCCESSION OF COLONELS. .^' . !(■- I i ment, penetration, and resolution in tho out-post duty, and was wounded in tho retreat from Burgos, on the 13th of Oc- tober, 1812. At the battle of Yittoriahe again distinguished himself: his services at Tolosa, St. Sebastian, and Nive were also conspicuous; and, on the king's birth-day, in 1814, he was promoted to the rank of colonel in the army. He com- manded tho twelfth light dragoons at the battle of Waterloo, where he led his regiment to tho charge with signal intre- pidity,— received sabre cuts on both arms, — was brought to tho ground by a blow on the head, — pierced through the ba*^ k by a lancer, — plundered by a tirailleur, — ridden over by two squadrons of cavalry, — and plundered a second time by a Prussian soldier; but afterwards recovered of his woimds. His services were rewarded with the foUowinfr marks of royal favour : — Knight Companion of the order of tho Bath, — Knight Grand Cross of tho order of St. Michael and St. George, — Knight Commander of the Hanoverian Guelphic order, — a cross, — a Waterloo medal, — Knight of the Tower and Sword of Portugal, — an-1 Knight of Maria Theresa of Austria. In January, 1824, he was nominated inspecting field officer in the Ionian Islands ; he was promoted brigadier- general on the staflf of those islands, in March, 1824; and in June, 1825, he was advanced to the rank of major-general. He was removed to the staff of Malta, and retained the command of the troops in that island until May, 183.5. In December, 1835, he obtained the colonelcy of the Eighty- sixth Regiment, from which he was removed to the royal dragoons in the following year. He was an ornament to his profession. In him, military talent was united with the most chivalrous bravery, — calm judgment,— cool decision,— resolute action, and modest deportment. He died on the 10th of January, 1837. James Watson. Appointed 3Ut March, 1836. Removed to the fourteenth foot, 24th May, 1837. Sib Arthur Brooke, KCB. Appointed 2ith May^ 1837- London : Harbison anu Co., Printbrs, St, Maktin's Lanb. ! [ «*.